as an adult, ten years later, the minute he was financially able to swing it. He said having you back in his life was so important to him, he hired you even before he bought his first sports car.”
Okay, yes, I’m extrapolating and expanding ever so slightly from the actual words Reed said. But why else would Reed have hired Amalia the moment he was able to do so, even before buying a sports car, if he hadn’t missed her terribly after she’d stopped working for his family—which Reed did explicitly say, coincided with his father going to prison?
From Amalia’s body language, it’s clear she’s blown away by what I’ve said. Indeed, if I blew on her, she’d tip over. She leans her hip against the island and puts her hand on her heart.
“It means the world to me to hear Reed said all of that. Thank you so much for telling me this, Georgie.”
“You’re welcome.” My heart skips a beat. It’s been a long time since I’ve hung out in a kitchen with a kind, older woman, and helped her cook a meal. The experience is causing my heart to flutter like crazy. “Reed actually referred to you as his second mother.” Am I fibbing? Did Reed say that, or did I? I can’t recall. But either way, even if I was the one who said it, Reed certainly didn’t correct me. And he did say he loves Amalia, and a photo of his mother and Amalia is one of the few personal shots in the house... So, I think it’s safe to say I haven’t told a lie.
“I love that sweet man so much,” Amalia says, more to herself than to me. For a moment, she looks lost in thought. But then she shakes off her reverie, sighs, and smiles. “I’m frankly quite surprised Reed said all this to you. Especially, the part about me being with his family until Mr. Rivers went to prison. Reed is an extremely private person. Especially about his father, and his childhood. I think he doesn’t like being reminded of anything unpleasant. He prefers not to think about it.”
My heart is galloping. I have a feeling, if I handle this conversation right, I’ll walk away with a goldmine of insight into parts of Reed he never shows the world. And I won’t have to pull it out of Reed to get it. “Reed actually told me a very poignant story about his father last night in the garage. A story about how Reed used to golf with his father every weekend. The point of the story was to explain to me how devastated Reed was when he realized his father had actually committed the crimes he’d been accused of. So much so, he doesn’t play golf now, because it brings up too many bad memories.”
Amalia’s jaw drops. Quickly, she looks down—and there’s no doubt she’s getting a grip on her emotions. When she looks up again, she looks pale. “I wish so badly I could have done more for Reed after his father went to prison. But there was only so much I could do.”
“Oh, of course, Amalia. I’m sure Reed knows that. From what he said, you’ve been a very calming, nurturing presence for him his whole life.”
Again, she looks shocked. “Wow. Reed really has shared a lot with you about his life, hasn’t he?”
“Well, I have been assigned to write an in-depth article about him. But even more than that, we’ve really clicked, maybe because I’ve shared things about my life with him, too. I told him about my mother, who died when I was nine, and that’s something I never, ever talk about with anyone. The same as Reed, I’m a person who prefers not to talk too much about things that make me sad.”
“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry about your mother.”
“Thank you. I think me opening up about that made Reed feel comfortable to do the same with me.”
“Well, that makes a lot of sense. You and Reed have a shared experience. I mean, it’s not the exact same thing, but both of you did lose your mothers at the exact same age.”
I’m stumped. Reed lost his mother at nine? “Right,” I say, like I know exactly what Amalia is talking about... even though, in truth, I haven’t a clue. If Reed lost his mother at age nine, then who’s the mother happily doing yoga and painting in Scarsdale with her boyfriend, Lee? Also, if Reed lost his